Friday Flashback #2 – World Champs, Fort William

27 Feb 2015

You don’t have to look back too far to see how things have evolved in Downhill, the crazy concepts and ideas of yesteryear are, for the most part, the absolute norm today.

GearBox Bikes, an Orange that never made it to production, a sneak view of a production V10, crazy wide 760mm bars (who’d ride anything less than that now?) and the dual shocked ‘2stage’. It seems so long ago.
UCI Mountain Bike World Champs Fort William – Pits and Bits

With the Downhill over by 10:30 this morning it was time to have a wander around the buzzing pits at Fort Bill and see what was about, more pictures than words but check it out here.

Taking a look around the pits there were a few new things to look at. Fresh from Eurobike, Solid and MTB-Direct had their offering on display into the downhill gearbox world. Running a Nexus 8 speed setup with a trigger shifter its going to be pushing around the £4500 for full builds we should have some more information and some testing in a short while but here are some pics for you to gander at now, should be in the Solid green though if you ask me.

This may have been spotted in places before, but this Camellini’s ride at present? Apprently its not going to be made as a replacement to the 224 or whatever number we are on, perhaps he just wanted a bit more french curve?

Custom paint jobs on helmets, bikes, kit, its custom everything for the World Champs. Steve Peat and Nathan Rennie are no exception with the most coloured in bikes on the scene. And a glimpse at a production Santa Cruz V-10 which is looking awesome, just don’t ask when you’ll be able to buy one as I think its Jungles most hated question at the moment.

My dad is harder than you’re dad? Well thats the trend going on with bars at the moment. Burgtec brought out some wide bars, so MTB-Direct have had the custom Fli XXL bars made. With be out soon with T7000 Aluminium and with a high 20 degree rise and 760mm width. Perhaps their dad is pretty hard then?

Finally managed to catch up with Aaron at 2stage bikes, top fella making some stunning bikes. The name gives away the design, two shocks, one linear one progressive. The first stage blows out fast for some top rate small bump sensitivity, then the second stage deal with the big stuff a downhill bike should. All very clever stuff, again keep your eyes out here over the next few months where we’ll have a load more information and some thorough testing.

And finally, you always get them, you stand there looking at them, wondering if they actually paid seventy quid in Toni and Guy to have this done to them, they think they look cool, the rest of the world stands there and thinks “Dude what the f*ck”

Simon has been a writer and editor for one of the biggest Moto publications in the UK and fondly remembers the days when Downhill Bikes tried to be as heavy as MX bikes. He doesn’t mind admitting he doesn’t live in natural ‘Mountain Bike Country’ in the flat South East but that doesn’t stop him tracking down anything that looks like a hill and riding it. Whatever form it comes in, if it has two wheels and can be propelled forwards, he’ll be interested.